TA makes history by commanding regular troops

A TERRITORIAL army officer from Reading has left his IT job for a ground-breaking six month tour in

the Balkans.

Captain John Kendall, 32, will be second-in-command on a mission which will make Territorial Army history.

He explained: "This is the first time TA officers have commanded a multi-national troop of regular soldiers on an operation in a foreign country."

Captain Kendall, who was an accounts and project manager, will be based in Banja Luka and will be one of 45 TA soldiers due to serve in the 98 (Balkans) Signal Squadron.

He wanted to take the tour of duty in the Balkans when his company Lynx announced a number of redundancies.

He said: "As you know the IT industry is in a bit of trouble at the moment. When I was offered redundancy I took it because I wanted to take this tour of duty and I would have had to leave anyway. It came at a very good time for me."

The Signals Squadron he will help command includes regular soldiers from Canada and Holland.

During his 10 years in the TA - he is currently second-in-command at the 94 (Berkshire Yeomanry) Signal Squadron based at Brock Barracks in Oxford Road - Captain Kendall has taken part in a military skills contest in Germany, learned to parachute and qualified as a physical training instructor. Last week he was practising driving skills in Swynnerton in Shropshire to get ready for the tour.

Following the gruelling driving course on a muddy and icy track, punctuated with steep slopes, he said: "The thing about being in the TA is that you get the best instruction in challenging jobs - like this type of driving - that other people have to pay to do."

Captain Kendall's squadron, two-thirds regular soldiers and one-third TA, will also include regular British signallers and a detachment of RAF technicians.

In Civvy Street, the TA soldiers are communications network managers, IT operators, engineers, message centre operators, drivers and chefs and the troop will be led by Major Chris Edwards, 36, a lecturer from Nantwich in Cheshire.

He said: "This is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the relevance and utility of the territorial army."

He said the soldiers would enjoy the challenge of being on such an operation delivering services needed by the commanders and staff based in the Balkans.